20-Something Questions How We Handled Life Before Cell Phones, Proves Cell Phones Are Making Us Useless

I spent my twenties traveling through Europe every summer. I would work all year to save money, then take off for a couple months. For some of those travels, I was completely alone. It was in the early nineties, so I did not own a cell phone. I had no issue finding my way — even in a completely foreign country where I didn’t speak the language. Now, if I leave my house without my cell phone — I feel like I’m stranded.

How did this happen?

I’ve long assumed that cell phones were replacing common sense with convenience. This article that a 20-something wrote for Huffpost — questioning how we all dealt with life before cell phones — sadly proves that assumption is correct. The author has 20 questions for people who were in their 20’s before cell phones and internet. I’d like to answer them.

1. How did you make plans?

It’s called a “phone.” They used to actually be used for talking and making plans, not texting emojis.

2. How did you CANCEL plans?

Again, actually speaking to another human was required.

3. How did you know who was calling you before you picked up the phone?

You didn’t. That sucked.

4. How did you rid of the fear that is calling people?

I think this is a new fear, because no one talks on the phone anymore. The concept of having an actual voice on the other end is disconcerting, because we are so used to dealing with the typed word now – instant messages, emails, texts. Hearing a voice on the other end of the line is actually really nice.

5. How did you find out information about people before you went on dates with them?

You didn’t. Unless you wanted to be a creepy stalker, hiding in the bushes. But you usually only made dates with people you had actually met in person, so stalking wasn’t as essential.

6. How did you find people to date in the first place???

People used to actually look up and make eye contact and conversation with others before they had phones to stare at all day.

7. How did you keep tabs on exes?

You didn’t. Life was so much healthier pre-internet.

8. How did you keep tabs on what your entire graduating class from high school was doing?

You didn’t. You made up fictional lives for them in your head occasionally. It worked.

9. How did you look for jobs?

Newspapers actually used to have “help wanted” sections. Then you had to actually show up and present a resume. The horror.

10. How did your parents get in touch with you when you were out?

They didn’t! It was so great. I’m sorry you’ll never know this freedom.

11. How did your survive waiting for meetings, appointments, trains, or anything without being able to pass time by pretending to look busy on your phone?

Books. Magazines. Actually making small talk with other humans.

12. How did you do ANYTHING at work before email?

A lot of in-person meetings and note taking. On paper. With pens.

13. How did you tell co-workers (or someone else you were meeting) that you were going to be late when you were stuck in traffic or stuck on some disabled subway car?

People on the whole were probably just more patient. And there were probably a lot less BS excuses being sent.

14. How did you sign up for classes at the gym?

There were sign-up sheets. On paper. You used a pen. First come, first served.

15. How did you know where you were or where you were going ever?

You paid more attention. You walked a few more blocks in the wrong direction. You asked people on the street for help.

16. What did you have to do if you broke down on the side of the road?

Hope for the kindness of strangers and that there was a close pay phone. Highways had “call boxes.”

17. How did you always have change on you to use these pay phones?

Everyone used to carry change, because they always had it, because they weren’t using debit cards for everything.

18. How did you research anything for school?

The library. Using the actual card catalogue. You had to check out heavy books and carry them home. You can be thankful you missed that. It was tedious.

19. How did you find out about the weather?

The news.

20. How did you stay in touch with friends?

You actually called them on the phone. Facebook “likes” are not the same thing as actually speaking to a live human, so this part was really nice.

The writer has a good sense of humor about it — she doesn’t seem genuinely confused about these questions. But they really made me think about how useless cellphones are making us all. I think we could perform under pressure and be resourceful if we needed to, but when you look at these questions, you see that cellphones have really made us all less social, less risk averse, and less resourceful.

Is there any going back?

(photo: Getty Images)